If you’re reading this blog, chances are you are familiar with American Express – and probably have an Amex card or two. Today we’re going to discuss a very valuable feature of American Express cards that truly set them apart from the competition: Amex offers.
What are Amex Offers?
Amex offers are optional offers that you can sign up for and use on all your American Express cards. They offer bonuses for shopping at specific retailers. The bonuses can be in the form of cash back or bonus points/miles, depending on the card and the offer.
Amex offers must be manually added to each card account. Offers that are available to you will show up in a “Amex Offers and Benefits” section of your American Express online account. These offers are targeted, meaning you won’t necessarily get the same offers as I will on my own cards.
How do Amex Offers Work?
You can browse available offers in the Benefits section of your Amex online account. Here you will see every offer that is available for that specific card. If you have multiple Amex cards, you may find that there are different offers on different cards. Here’s the basic process of using an Amex offer:
- Locate the offer you want to use on your account
- Click “Add to Card”
- Check the terms of the offer for specifics
- Follow the terms and make your transaction at the qualifying retailer using the card with the Amex offer attached
- If you followed the terms correctly, you should get an email from Amex almost immediately
- Get your cashback credit or bonus points automatically, typically within a few days (it can technically take up to 90 days, but it’s usually less than a week)
Now that you know the basic process, let’s move on to how to maximize Amex offers.
How to Maximize Amex Offers
The basics of American Express offers are quite simple, but there are a few things you can do to maximize your savings with these offers.
- Check frequently – new offers are added all the time
- Read the fine print – some offers have specific terms that must be followed
- Add to multiple cards – if you have the same offer on multiple cards, you can add it to several at the same time by using the multiple tab trick
- Use the old interface – If you’re using multiple Amex cards, you may wish to use the old Amex interface
- Stack the deal – combine Amex offers with cashback sites, sale pricing and other promotions
- Don’t wait to save offers – some good Amex offers have a limited number of enrollments, and once that number is reached the offer will be pulled from all accounts that it’s not already added to. Don’t snooze on good offers! (Note: once an offer is added to your card, it won’t be removed until it expires)
- Buy gift cards to lock in savings – if you see a good offer for a merchant you shop at but don’t have an immediate need to make a purchase there, consider buying a gift card for that merchant, which should trigger the Amex offer
You can find more information in the official Amex Offers FAQ.
